Armilito J Pangilinan, President

Armilito Pangilinan has had more than 30 years of non-profit leadership experience. He enjoyed building organizations and organizational units from the ground up. He has served in leadership capacity in various organizations where he worked closely with the executive and leadership teams to develop strategies and implement programs and systems that help the organization function optimally. Armilito obtained his BS in Accounting and MBA degrees from the City University of Seattle. He recently retired his CPA license. 

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Armilito has been involved with the Filipino Community of Seattle (FCS) since 2014 where he helped in the capital campaign for the construction of the Filipino Community Village 1 (FCV1) and functioned as the chair of the FCV1 Mural Committee. He later joined the Board of Directors in 2019 and has served as the Board Vice President prior to his appointment as the President in 2025. Armilito introduced the concept of servant leadership to the FCS Board of Directors and has been guiding the FCS Board through its transformation from working to a governing board. 

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Outside of his professional work, Armilito enjoys working with clay at his home basement studio. Currently, he is a volunteer pottery teacher to seniors at the Filipino Community Center where a makeshift pottery workshop is held at the ballroom every Tuesday. Most of his senior students (aged 60 – 96 years old) have never been involved in creating art and they are pleased to unearth their undiscovered talents and creativity. The process of creating art has brought joy and pride to the seniors, the culmination of which was when, for the first time in their lives, they shared their work with the public at a pottery showcase, “Embracing Imperfection, Discovering Creativity”, at the FCS Tanggapan Gallery. Seniors laughing, joking with each other and creating new ceramics pieces are some of the heartwarming gifts Armilito looks forward to every week.
 

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Rick Polintan, Vice President

Rick Polintan has had over 35 years of community and union organizing experience since his migration to the United States in 1980 from the Philippines. He was a member of the Union of Democratic Filipinos, doing community organizing against the Marcos dictatorship and helping Filipinos in their struggle for immigrant rights in the U.S.

 

He helped organize healthcare workers in California and Washington State for the Service Employees International Union from 1986 until his retirement in 2011.

 

He is actively involved in leadership positions in several organizations. He is currently a member of the Board of Commissioners of the Valley Medical Center, and the Chair of the 11th Legislative District Democrats; Treasurer and board member of Asian Pacific Islander Americans for Civic Empowerment (APACE C4); member of the board of APACE PAC; Vice-President of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, Seattle chapter (APALA); and Vice-President of the Filipino American Political Action Group of Washington (FAPAGOW). Throughout his time working with APALA, he has raised awareness of the need for AAPIs to contribute to the election process and to contribute by voting.

 

According to David Della, former city councilmember and brother-in-law, “Rick does not seek the limelight. He is a man of few words but has and continues to work tirelessly to empower others. Whether it is about workers’ rights, civil rights, social justice or political empowerment, Rick is always there, ready to support and lead.”

 

He learned his political activism and consciousness while a student at the University of the Philippines at the height of the protest movement against Marcos’ dictatorial rule and the Vietnam war in the early ’70s known as the First Quarter Storm.

 

He is married to Pacita Bunag. 

Source: Rick Polintan - KeyWiki

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Aileen Balahadia, Board Secretary

Aileen Balahadia is a Northwest native and a child of Philippine immigrants who lives with her family in Southeast Seattle. She has been fortunate to work in the most culturally diverse neighborhoods in Seattle including the Chinatown/International District, Columbia City, White Center and the Rainier Valley. A 20+ year practitioner in community development, Aileen is now an independent consultant working on neighborhood and community projects focused on authentic community leadership, particularly from the least represented members of our community, multicultural coalition building, and community and nonprofit capacity building. She is currently the Program Consultant for Neighbor to Neighbor, the grassroots grantmaking program of the Seattle Foundation. This work includes grantmaking as well as technical assistance, networking and support to grassroots communities of color based organizations. Her other clients have included RVC, City of Seattle, Families of Color Seattle, Communities Rise and HomeSight.

She served for 8 years as the Executive Director of the White Center Community Development Association and previously worked with the Seattle Chinatown ID Preservation and Development Authority and Local Initiatives Support Corporation. She currently serves on the board of the Seattle Chinatown ID Preservation and Development Authority. Aileen has a Master’s in Public Administration from the Evans School at the University of Washington and a BA from the University of Puget Sound.

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Tyler Lipton, Treasurer

Tyler Lipton (he/him) is a Filipino American born in California and raised in Federal Way, Washington. He started volunteering at the FCS Senior Lunch and Food Bank in April 2023. Tyler joined the board in September 2023 because he wanted to lean into his Filipino heritage and give back to the community as much as possible. His goal is encouraging younger generations to get more involved at FCS.

 

Tyler is a first-generation college graduate from the University of Washington, with a degree in Business Administration (Emphasis in Finance) and Certificate in Accounting. He has corporate finance experience in the banking industry and currently works at Amazon as a Financial Analyst in International Emerging Markets.

 

Tyler’s hobby is officiating youth/adult soccer games in Washington. He started as a teenager refereeing u9-u12 games on the weekends and currently referees high school, division II college, and has refereed a U.S Open Cup qualifying match. He’s also the referee liaison for the Seattle Sounders and Tacoma Defiance. He attends every home match. He held board positions such as, Director-at-Large, Director of Mentoring, Treasurer, and Vice President at multiple non-profit soccer referee associations.

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Directors

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Diane Burkhammer, MBA, PMP

Diane Burkhammer is a visionary leader, innovator, and community advocate who brings over twenty years of experience in strategy and transformation to her role on the Filipino Community of Seattle Board of Directors. As a Principal Architect at T-Mobile US, she helps shape the future of technology, while never losing sight of the people and communities that innovation is meant to serve.

 

For Diane, representation matters. She believes that when leaders from diverse backgrounds step forward, they not only create opportunities for themselves but also inspire those who follow. Her advocacy spans across generations championing education, digital literacy, and STEM programs for youth while also standing firmly beside seniors and veterans to ensure their voices, contributions, and dignity are honored.

 

She is currently pursuing her PhD in Leadership at Saint Martin’s University, where her research explores how leaders can guide organizations through times of technological disruption. Diane is married to Shawn Burkhammer, and together they call Seattle home, where they are active in cultural, civic, and philanthropic initiatives that strengthen the Filipino community and beyond.

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Christine Consolacion

Christine Consolacion is driven by a deep belief in the power of community and the impact of genuine human connection. These core values guide her work in development as a fundraising professional. She views resource development not only as a means to support important causes, but also as an invitation for others to join in collective joy, compassion and equity.

 

With over seven years of experience in the world of philanthropy and nonprofits, Christine brings a thoughtful blend of strategic impact and authentic relationship-building to her work.

 

Christine has navigated her life through the lens of a first-generation immigrant and proudly honors the legacy of her ancestors, family and countless others who have paved the roads of opportunity she has been given. Her journey fuels her commitment to serving the Filipino community and advocating for all communities, especially those affected by systemic injustice.

 

Christine finds restoration in nature, values time with her family, and enjoys indulging in a good poetry book.

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Francis Anthony Franco, RICP®

Francis Anthony Franco is a Registered Investment Advisor and Wealth Advisor with Eagle Strategies, LLC, a New York Life Company and owns Franco Financial Strategies, LLC, a brokerage company that offer different financial and insurance services. He earned his designation in Retirement Income Certified Planning at The American College of Financial Services. In his early career, Francis earned his Bachelor’s Degree at De LaSalle-College of St. Benilde in Manila and Ateneo University. 

 

Francis has been serving the FCS Board of directors since July 2018 and is seen as the retirement expert to our titos and titas in the Filipino community. Helping Filipino-American centered businesses has always been a passion of his and he is an advocate for the LGBTQ community.

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Gina Israel

Gina Israel has extensive years of experience in strategic communications, specializing in community relations, government affairs, public relations, media relations, and copy/speech writing. She runs her professional consulting business called Journey Communications.

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Her communications background includes work with elected officials, law enforcement commanders, senior management, and lobbyists from WA D.C., US Congress, WA State Governor’s & Legislature Offices, King County, Snohomish County, City of Seattle Office of the Mayor and Seattle Police Department, and City of Lynnwood — including international dignitaries from South Africa, Korea, Japan, and the Philippines.

Gina was a former publisher/journalist of a local community newspaper and serves as a volunteer for various non-profit organizations.
 

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Gemma Mechure

Gemma Mechure had been volunteering at the community for a few years now. Gemma is honored to be part of the Board and make the volunteering official. She is a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Santo Tomas and had been working as a Medical Planner in Seattle for more than 20 years. She has work experience not only in the US but also in the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Hong Kong. 

Gemma’s husband, June is a Principal/Electrical Engineer in Bellevue, WA, her daughter Miko is a graduate of PhD in Psychology and works in UCLA Medical Center and her son Josef who has a degree in Sociology/Computer works in Microsoft. 

 

Gemma had co-founded a Charity Foundation with her family and currently serves as its CEO. This Foundation helps support students in the Philippines to help them achieve academic success and excellence. Aside from being an Architect, mother, wife, Foundation CEO and FCS Board member, Gemma is also a part time cake designer and baker and donates 100% of the profit from her cake ventures to charity. 

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Angel “AJ” Mijares Jr.

Angel “AJ” Mijares Jr is a Filipino American who was born in Brooklyn, NY, and was raised in the New York/New Jersey area. He brings over 18 years of experience at Microsoft where he has developed expertise in risk management, finance, and business operations. His recent transition to Intapp, a publicly traded technology company serving financial services and professional firms, as the Head of Enterprise Risk Management (ERM), highlights his leadership and strategic acumen in the technology sector.

After years of serving in faith-formation groups, including Bukas Loob Sa Diyos (BLD) and his local parish in Kirkland, AJ expanded his community service efforts while getting his Executive MBA from Seattle University. His educational background also includes a BA in Finance from New York’s Pace University and his commitment to lifelong learning and professional development is evidenced by several certifications that include being a Certified Management Accountant (CMA). 

 

Passionate about social equity and celebrating Filipino heritage, AJ is dedicated to enriching Seattle's cultural scene. His hobbies, which include DJing, cooking, and videography, are more than pastimes—they’re extensions of his creative expression and community engagement. 

 

Since moving to Seattle in 2005, AJ has built a life with his wife, Kimberly – also a Filipino American and a Seattle native – and together they raise their four children in Bothell, WA.

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Cherie Montanez

After an 18 year hiatus from community involvement, Cherie Montanez (she/her) is honored to bring back her 23+ years of professional experience and skills to the community by serving on the Board of FCS.  Cherie has had the honor of working and serving the community in many different capacities, working in nonprofit, private and government organizations, including her role as an HR (Human Resources) Manager, and Accountant for the Seattle Chinatown/ International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDPDA), HR Manager for Crowne Plaza, and Senior HR Management Analyst for the King County Housing Authority (KCHA). Cherie also served on the board of the International District Housing Alliance (IDHA).

 

Cherie is a passionate and experienced member of the community. She immigrated in May 1986, and first lived in Skyway, WA. Living with her sister, Emma Catague, and her family, she attended Seattle Central Community College (now named Seattle Central College) and later transferred to Central Washington University where she earned her Bachelor’s in Business Administration degree. She served in various professional capacities, later raising a family of her own as a single mother in South Seattle. From her experiences immigrating to Seattle and being privileged to have many different mentors who helped build who she is today, Cherie hopes to give back the skills and experience she’s gained to the community that uplifted her.

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Juancito “Chito” Supena

Juancito “Chito” Supena is a successful entrepreneur. He is a licensed General Contractor in Washington State through his company CSB General Contractor LLC. He is also licensed-insured-bonded to work on engineering construction under CSB Telecom Services. 

 

Before immigrating to the US, Chito was with AT&T (Phils.) as Logistics Procurement Director in the Philippines, and as International Field Telecom Engineer in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He eventually worked as Switching Wireless Engineer at Saudi Telecom, Singapore Telecom, Bangkok Telecom, Nigeria Econet Wireless, and Shenzhen China. Chito graduated with degree in Electronics and Communications Engineer from Asian Institute of Technology. 

Prior to joining the FCS Board of Directors, Chito was President of Bicol Association of Washington and was a Board of Director of Filipino American Society of Architect and Engineers. He was the Regional Vice President – Pacific Region of Bicol National Association of America, an organization that provides medical mission, Operation Smile, support during calamities, and assistance to an orphanage (Sagrada de Familia) in the Bicol region of the Philippines. Chito was the Team Lead for Our Lady of Peñafrancia annual devotion event at Saint Edward’s Church.

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